[Illustration:  Fig. 92.]

Fig. 92 shows the extremities of the index and thumb closely joined in form of a cone, and turned down, the other fingers held at pleasure, and the hand and arm advanced to the point and held steady.  This signifies justice, a just person, that which is just and right.  The same sign may denote friendship, a menace, which specifically is that of being brought to justice, and snuff, i.e. powdered tobacco; but the expression of the countenance and the circumstance of the use of the sign determine these distinctions.  Its origin is clearly the balance or emblem of justice, the office of which consists in ascertaining physical weight, and thence comes the moral idea of distinguishing clearly what is just and accurate and what is not.  The hand is presented in the usual manner of holding the balance to weigh articles.

[Illustration:  Fig. 93.]

[Illustration:  Fig. 94.]

Fig. 93 signifies little, small, both as regards the size of physical objects or figuratively, as of a small degree of talent, affection, or the like.  It is made either by the point of the thumb placed under the end of the index (a), or vice versa (b), and the other fingers held at will, but separated from those mentioned.  The intention is to exhibit a small portion either of the thumb or index separated from the rest of the hand.  The gesture is found in Herculanean bronzes, with obviously the same signification.  The signs made by some tribes of Indians for the same conception are very similar, as is seen by Figs. 94 and 95.

[Illustration:  Fig. 95.]

[Illustration:  Fig. 96.]

Fig. 96 is simply the index extended by itself.  The other fingers are generally bent inwards and pressed down by the thumb, as mentioned by Quintilian, but that is not necessary to the gesture if the forefinger is distinctly separated from the rest.  It is most commonly used for indication, pointing out, as it is over all the world, from which comes the name index, applied by the Romans as also by us, to the forefinger.  In different relations to the several parts of the body and arm positions it has many significations, e.g., attention, meditation, derision, silence, number, and demonstration in general.

[Illustration:  Fig. 97.]

Fig. 97 represents the head of a jackass, the thumbs being the ears, and the separation of the little from the third fingers showing the jaws.

[Illustration:  Fig. 98.]

Fig. 98 is intended to portray the head of the same animal in a front view, the hands being laid upon each other, with thumbs extending on each side to represent the ears.  In each case the thumbs are generally moved forward and back, in the manner of the quadruped, which, without much apparent reason, has been selected as the emblem of stupidity.  The sign, therefore, means stupid, fool.  Another mode of executing the same conception—­the ears of an ass—­is shown in Fig. 99, where the end of the thumb is applied to the ear or temple and the hand is wagged up and down.  Whether the ancient Greeks had the same low opinion of the ass as is now entertained is not clear, but they regarded long ears with derision, and Apollo, as a punishment to Midas for his foolish decision, bestowed on him the lengthy ornaments of the patient beast.